Jewish Synagogues In Egypt The relationship of the Jews with Egypt is as old as the religion itself. Today, although their numbers have been drastically reduced, there are still places of great interest that can motivate a trip with this theme as a cornerstone.
Judaism is one of the oldest ‘living’ religions in the world. Although it is difficult to establish a concrete chronology, it can be said that its emergence and its first development coincided with the golden age of the Pharaonic civilization. That is why the interrelationship between the Jews and Egypt is very close, more so than a person not versed in the subject would imagine.
The 12 tribes in Egypt
Abraham considered the founder of Judaism, was the father of Isaac and Isaac was the father of Israel (Jacob, for Christianity), who had 12 sons. That dozen of descendants gave rise to the Twelve Tribes of Israel, who were enslaved in Ancient Egypt. Later, they returned to the Promised Land, as described in Exodus, one of the five books that make up the Torah (and also one of the many that make up the Old Testament).
According to the book of Genesis (another book sacred to Judaism), the Twelve Tribes had settled in the city of Ramesses and from there they set out on their return. Historiography usually estimates the date of their return as 1250 B.C., that is, during the reign of Pharaoh Ramses II.
This liberation from slavery in Egypt and the subsequent leadership towards the Promised Land had as its architect Moses, probably born in the region of Goshen, in Ancient Egypt. Moses, is considered one of the prophets of Judaism (and also in Christianity and Islam), is also the protagonist of other sacred episodes that took place before or during the Hebrew exodus. In particular, the revelation of the Burning Bush and the giving of the Tablets of the Law, or the Ten Commandments, on Mount Horeb
A Moses who would have been in direct interlocution with the Pharaoh to allow such liberation, something to which the latter would have agreed only after discovering the ravages of the ten plagues, sent by Yahweh.
The Jewish Synagogues In Egypt
It is one of the most famous and luxurious Jewish Synagogues In Egypt; it is known as the “Sha’ar Hashamayim” temple (meaning “Heaven’s Gate”), and the “Ismailia Temple”. The temple is located on Adly Street in Cairo, currently, Maghraby Street, in the former Ismailia neighborhood, and was built in 1905 under the sponsorship of aristocratic Jewish families The temple has no archaeological or historical importance because it is a building in the modern era, but its importance is because it is the main temple in which some rituals are held from time to time, whether for the Jewish minority or foreign Jews in Cairo.
The architectural layout of the temple:
It is a square building with two floors, and the architectural layout of the temple is the same as that of the temples in Egypt known as the basilica style; where the first floor is divided from the inside into three sections by columns, the two side sections are a spacious prayer hall that can accommodate about a thousand worshipers, and the center; there is a temple on the eastern side of it towards Jerusalem, there is a marble structure topped with a wooden cupboard for keeping the books of the Torah in Hebrew, opposite it is a marble platform on which the rabbi stands to pray.” The walls are decorated with palm trees and the Star of David, in addition to stained glass, and on the top floor there is a women’s chapel.
Located in the Fustat district of the Old City of Egypt, this temple is one of the largest and most important Jewish Synagogues In Egypt and temples, especially since the Egyptian government took over its care and restoration, and turned it into a monument and tourist attraction. In addition, its library contains the most valuable Jewish books and periodicals that chronicle the presence of the Jewish community in Egypt.
This temple was built at the end of the 19th century in the same place where Maimonides stayed when he arrived in Egypt from Andalusia, and religious rituals were held there until 1960, and in 1986 The temple was registered as a monument due to its historical, and religious and architectural importance. The temple is attributed to the Cordoban Jewish theologian Moses ibn Maimon, who was born in 1135 AD in Cordoba, Andalusia, and died in Egypt in 1204. Maimon was an accomplished scholar in Jewish religious sciences, medicine, mathematics and philosophy and is said to have been the personal physician of Saladin Ayyubi’s family and one of the most Jewish Synagogues In Egypt and Cairo
The architectural layout of the temple:
The temple is divided into three main sections, the first Jewish Synagogues In Egypt: It is a rectangular hall. Its walls are covered with marble and inscribed with the Ten Commandments in Hebrew, and on its eastern wall is the Temple and the Bible cabinet. The design of the temple is also characterized by the absence of marble columns in the prayer hall, while the second section includes the private tomb of Moses Maimon before his remains were transferred to Tiberias in Palestine, as well as the small room adjacent to the tomb The most important element of this section is the water well that was used for purification, and it is mentioned that the water from the well was used to treat the Mamluks, while the third section consists of some rooms dedicated to the clergy and the supervisors of the temple administration, as well as the bathrooms.
Some sources indicate that it was built in 1887 AD and rebuilt in 1950 AD, and it is considered the only temple for the Ashkenazi community in Egypt, who are “Western Jews”.
The architectural layout of the temple:
The temple occupies a square-shaped area, and several marble steps lead to its main entrance located on the western side, and the temple hall is surrounded on the north and south sides by wooden benches for seating worshippers, and in the center is a marble platform known as “Bimah” where prayers are conducted and sermons are delivered, and it is rectangular, and the structure is located – as is usual in other temples – in the center of the temple. As usual in other temples, it is located in the eastern wall and is ascended to it by three steps.
The area of the temple is 4200 m and it is two floors: A men’s floor and a women’s floor, containing a valuable central library, some of which dates back to the 15th century. The temple also includes rows of wooden benches for 700 people, marble boxes dedicated to collecting donations for poor and sick Jews, and several offices for the Jewish community that provide services to the community.
It is noteworthy that the date of construction of the temple in its current form dates back to 1881 AD. It is a synagogue located on Prophet Daniel Street in the center of Alexandria, and the temple is famous for being the oldest and most famous synagogue in the Middle East, as it was built on the ruins of an old temple that was built in 1354 AD and was bombed by the French campaign on Egypt.
